


One Way To Avoid Nightmares

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Insomnia, Mention of blood, Mentioned Character Death, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-28 05:24:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19387381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: What Ike needed most of all was a distraction.





	One Way To Avoid Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> _Any, Any, asking someone else to stay up with them because they're terrified of falling asleep_

He didn't want to sleep.

 _She pulled your father's sword from her breast, smiling as she forgave him._ Father had killed Mother, she hadn't simply "died", Father had slain her with his own hand. _He asked me to sever the tendons in his sword hand._ Why he refused to wield a sword anymore, why he'd never talked about the past.

Why he'd refused to take up Ragnell against the Black Knight.

He didn't want to sleep. If he did, he'd only have nightmares, reliving what he'd seen and what Volke had described in his head until he woke up in a cold sweat.

Titania wouldn't approve, neither would Soren or Mist. _A leader needs his rest,_ they would scold, but even if he wanted to he knew he wouldn't be able to rest tonight with so many thoughts running rampant through his head. _How am I going to tell Mist?_ He couldn't, it hit her hard enough when Father died, to tell her such an ugly truth would destroy her. It would destroy a lot of people who loved and admired him.

He wished _he_ didn't know.

 _Is that why I can't remember Mother? Because of how she died?_ Father must have made up that story about the random soldiers attacking. Or an illness, he can't even remember what he heard that day. Just that Mother was gone.

He sat with his knees drawn to his chest, refusing to acknowledge any sign of exhaustion. He didn't want to sleep, wouldn't sleep, _couldn't_ sleep.

"Ike?" He tensed at the sound of a familiar voice, but not one he'd been expecting.

"Boyd, what's up? You're usually out like a light by now," he said casually. Not that Boyd would notice either way, he wasn't known for picking up on subtleties.

"Same goes for you," Boyd said with a grin. "Just checking up on our commander, that's all. Surprised no one else has yet, you've usually got a crowd flanking you."

"Titania, Soren and Mist aren't _that_ bad," Ike said. "Actually, I'm glad you're up right now. Do you want to spar for a while? I...can't sleep either, I'm pretty keyed up myself!"

"Sure!" Boyd grinned. "You know I'm always up for a chance to knock you flat on your butt!" _Phew!_ Thankfully, Boyd was never the type to ask questions or get suspicious; while he wasn't _completely_ dense he wasn't the sharpest sword in the shop and Ike couldn't have been more relieved of this fact than he was right now.

They grabbed their weapons, rushed to the practice yard and soon Ike's head was filled with the clanging of steel against steel, blocking out everything else.


End file.
